Laminated hook fastener

ABSTRACT

An extruded hook fastener strip is created on a roll having hook forming cavities in its surface by extruding plastic material into the interface between the forming roll and a second strip carried by a backing roll. The second strip is firmly bonded to the fastener strip on that side opposite the formed hooks.

1. This invention relates to an improved fastener of the hook and looptype and a method for producing the same using a combined extrusion/rollforming process. The assignee of this application is owner of U.S. Pat.No. 4,775,310 which describes an apparatus for making a separablefastener and U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,243 which describes the productproduced by the apparatus of the former patent. Striplike fasteners ofthe type described in the subject patents comprise a great multiplicityof closely spaced upstanding hooklike projections to releasably engageloops of a companion fastener strip to form a cyclable or semipermanentclosure sold in the trade under the brand name Velcro®. Depending uponthe configuration of the multihook fastener, many different types ofmaterial are adapted for coaction therewith to effect joining of thestructures to which the strip fasteners are themselves joined. Suchfastener devices are finding broad usage in such diverse applications assecuring automotive seat covers to foamed seat buns, closures for foodbags, the application of armor to military vehicles and holding downfloor coverings to floors.

2. Each of the recited applications and many more, well known to thoseskilled in the art, require the fastener to be permanently attached to asecond article such as a piece of textile fabric, a seat bun, a floor orthe flap of a paper bag. Sewing, however, is limited as to the nature ofthe material to which the fastener may be attached. Adhesive systemshave long been used as a principal method of attaching fasteners toother objects as well. U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,580 discloses a method ofsecuring a fastener member to a substrate by first applying a syntheticresin adhesive to one side of the base of a fastener, opposite the sidecontaining the upstanding engaging elements, and then applying anadhesive to the substrate. Thereafter the adhesive coating on thefastener is activated. The two adhesive coated surfaces are broughttogether in face to face relationship to firmly affix the fastenermember to the substrate. The subject patent teaches that “in order tosecurely bond an adhesive to the tape member it is preferred that theopposite surface of the tape member have a suitable base coat whichwould provide for a secure bond between the tape member and theadhesive”. U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,752 instructs that in preparing adhesivelaminates, wherein synthetic resin based adhesive is laminated to a webof polyamide polymer, it was found that strong bonding between thepolyamine substrate and the adhesive lamina were difficult to achieve,and the prior art is “well-studded with attempts to overcome thisproblem”. This patent overcomes such difficulties by treating thepolyamide web with primer coating consisting of a complex chemicalmixture in a solvent medium to render an improved bonding surface. Manypatents, including U.S. Pat. No. 2,349,290 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,060,070and U.S. Pat. No. 3,111,448 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,766,164, describemethods for bonding poly(amide) polymer to specific surfaces primarilynatural or synthetic rubber. All of these teachings rely upon chemicalmeans for enhancing the ability to bond to the surface of a sheet orfibrous material.

3. Many plastic fastener tapes are produced from plastic materialspossessing the minimum strength and resiliency essential to the properfunctioning of the hooklike projections. Customarily the side of thefastener tape opposite the upstanding hooks is a smooth, flat, uniformand regular surface difficult to bond, as is well documented in theprior art. Such difficulties present particular problems for hook andloop fasteners. This class of products are convenience products and ifit is necessary to amply complex chemical treatments to the tape priorto bonding the convenience advantage is lost. It is known to applypressure sensitive adhesives to such fasteners by the application ofcorona treatments in the manufacturing facilities where the fastenertapes are manufactured but such treatments are not available for manyusers and do not present a reasonable solution for creating a fastenersurface which is readily bondable to a wide variety of surfaces using awide range of adhesive types. U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,865 describes anapparatus for continuously forming a flexible web with moldedprotuberances of plastic maternal incorporated in a base web. The baseof the web is either a porous woven or nonwoven fabric, or an extrudedfilm. The supporting fabric is impregnated with molten plasticsimultaneously as hooks are formed. While U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,865 issparse in detail concerning the nature of the product formed from theapparatus it does characterize the impregnation of the base fabric ascomplete, stating in appropriate part, “a liquid moldable plasticmaterial, for example a molten plastic, is injected into the hookmolding recesses of the wire and also onto the surface and into theinterstices of the base fabric which lies on the surface of the drum.”The base fabric passes under a nozzle which impregnates it with the sameplastic used to inject the dies used to form the plastic hooks with theclear implication the porous base web is completely saturated with theplastic. This is considerably different from the products of the presentinvention wherein the process controls the distribution of plastic intothe backing material to a degree necessary to firmly hold the backingmaterial to the base of the hook sheet but does not encase the backingto destroy it's aesthetic characteristics as a functioning backingmaterial to modify the back surface of the fastener. The backing of U.S.Pat. No. 3,594,865 is primarily a support onto which hooks are formedand does not modify the backing of the fastener to receive adhesives orgluing agents nor is it possible to utilize loop materials as thebacking material to form back to back fasteners. It is also known to usecomplex laminating methods to add a bondable surface to many sheetmaterials but such methods are expensive and often create a finalproduct which has undesirable characteristics such as bulk, stiffness, atendency to delaminate, operating temperature limitations or otherproperties making the laminate undesirable.

4. A product using such techniques, well known in the art of hook andloop fasteners, is the so called back to back fastener. Such a productis created by taking a hook fastener and a loop fastener and bonding thetwo together in a back to back relationship such that the resultinglaminate has hooks on one side and loops on the other side. Such acombination finds wide use in many strapping operations such as wireties, plant ties and fastener straps for holding splints and the like inplace. The limitation of such products in the past has focused on themethod used to laminate the two components together as described above.The bulk created by the adhesive bonding of such laminates has clearlylimited its usefulness.

5. Therefore it is the object of the present invention to produce a hookportion of a hook and loop fastener system which has a surface oppositethe surface containing the upstanding hooks substantially modified inits characteristics from the customary flat, smooth, even surface whichhas little compatibility for bonding to other materials. A furtherobjective of the invention is to create a surface on the back of a baseof a plastic hook and loop fastener which will readily accept bondingagents such as adhesives, glues, cements and the like without specialtreatment of the surface. It is a further objective of the invention tocreate a loop surface on the back portion of the base of a plastic hookfastener which is capable of engaging into hooks on the front surfacethereof to form a back to back laminate with less bulk, stiffness andthickness.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

6. The process described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,028 for making plastichooks utilizes an apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,310comprising “a first cooled unitary forming roller having a plurality ofhook forming cavities defined in the periphery thereof and extendinginwardly therefrom; a second pressure roller positioned for coactionwith said first forming roller; means for concurrently rotating saidfirst and second rollers in opposite directions about their generallyrespective axis; means for forming s striplike extrusion of moltenplastic material adjacent said first and second rollers to be directedtherebetween at an interface thereof such that said plastic materialfills said hook forming cavities and forms a striplike member having abase portion and a great multiplicity of hooklike projections extendingfrom one surface of said base portion and integral therewith; means forremoving said striplike member from said first forming roller at aposition spaced from the interface of said first and second rollers suchthat said hooklike projections are withdrawn from said hook formingcavities without opening said cavities after being cooled by the firstforming roller to a desired temperature.” I have found it possible tointroduce into the nip, formed by the two cylinders, various sheetmaterials which will become an integral part of the striplike materialon the side opposite the hooks. Surprisingly, introduction of suchmaterials into the nip along with the molten plastic does not interferewith the operation of the process and while certain cautions andlimitations are, of course, desirable, the formation of such insitulaminates proceeds to great advantage. I have found a very wide varietyof materials, such as nonwoven fabrics, woven and knitted textiles,reinforcing yarns, scrims and nettings, sheets of paper, plastic films,metallic window screening and almost any material in filmlike or thinsheet form can be handled in this manner. The formation of the striplikeplastic fastener sheet insitu with a porous foreign backing most oftenis accomplished by infusion of the molten plastic into the structure ofthe web material where there is an intimate intermingling of the plasticwithin the pores of the web. In the case of nonporous films, the filmstend to melt on their surface forming an intermolecular diffusion whichforms a strong bond between the sheets. The inclusion of such foreignmaterials provides a substantial advantage over prior art methods ofcreating laminates. Such striplike materials contain no foreignmaterial; the bonds are strong and a wide range of materials may bejoined in this way. Additionally, the process of adding the backing atthe time of creating the hooks offers economic advantages over the moreconventional processes of creating a laminate using adhesives or otherbonding agents in second stage processes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

7. In order to more fully understand the invention, reference should behad to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with theattached drawings, wherein:

8.FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of the apparatus used in theprior art for creating the plastic fastener hook tape of the prior art.

9.FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 whichis modified in accordance with the present invention.

10.FIG. 3 is a schematic rear view of the forming roll arrangement ofFIG. 2.

11.FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the hook fastener tapeformed by the prior art process.

12.FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of one embodimentof the invention.

13.FIG. 5A is another schematic illustration of the product of FIG. 5.

14.FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of another productof the invention.

15.FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of yet anotherform of the invention.

16.FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view wherein the bottom layerof the product is a loop fastener.

17.FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view wherein the productincludes a layer of foam.

18.FIG. 9A shows how the foam layer of FIG. 9 can be sheared.

19.FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus used in the priorart for creating the plastic fastener hook tape of the prior art.Extruder barrel 1 melts and forces the molten plastic 3 through die 2into the nip 6 between base roller 4 and cavity roller 5 containingcavities to form the hooks of a strip fastener of the well known hookand loop type. The strip fastener material formed in the nip 6 travelsaround the periphery of the cavity roller 5 and around stripping roller7, which assists in pulling the formed hook sheet 8 from the cavityroll, and thence to a windup device, not shown.

20. While many methods of feeding sheet material to the forming sectionof the hook forming device are possible FIG. 2 illustrates a deviceparticularly well adapted to that purpose. I have found that byintroducing a preformed sheet material 10 into the nip 6 at the sametime molten plastic 3 is forced into the nip 6 to create the stripfastener tape, the sheet material will bond intimately with the fastenerto become an integral part of the structure of the strip fastener. As inFIG. 1, extruder 1 forces molten plastic 3 through die 2 into nip 6between rolls 4 and 5. However, I have added at the edges and around theperiphery of backing roller 4 a set of pins which will carry the sheetmaterial 10 into the nip 6 in a flat, unwrinkled state. It is importantto maintain a smooth, wrinkle free, properly tensioned sheet in order toform a smooth, even laminate backing for the fastener. To assure propertensioning and alignment of the secondary sheet material, a roll of thesecondary material 10 is mounted on a let off device and threaded arounddiversion roller 11 into a web straightening device 12, well known inthe art as typically sold by the Fife Manufacturing Company whichassures the edge of the web of sheet material is centered as it is fedonto backing roller 4 around scroll roll 13, composed of ribs ofelastomeric material to firmly grip the sheet and impinge it against thebacking roller 4 and onto pins 14. Pins 14 and roller 4 deliver the webinto nip 6 along with molten plastic 3. As the molten plastic 3 isforced by the pressure imposed upon it by the narrow space of the nip 6,it flows into cavities in cavity roller 5 and also into any porespresent in the sheet material being carried by the backing roller 4. Inthis way the web sheet 10 is intimately joined to the forming hook sheet8 and becomes an integral part thereof to form a laminated sheet 9. FIG.3 is a rear view of the forming roll stack along line A, A1. The backingroller 4 is supported on shaft 15 which is held by bearing 16 in itsproper place in side plates, not shown. Bearing 16 is connected tohydraulic lines 19 from a hydraulic pump located remotely from the rollstack. The pins 14 are held by hub 18 which is fitted to the shaft 15holding the backing roller 4. It is possible to incorporate the pins 14directly into the backing roller 4 but I prefer to utilize separate pinholding hubs which afford some degree of flexibility in utilizingvarious size and shape pins for differing sheet materials.

21. The customary procedure for operating the apparatus described is tothread up the secondary backing 10 through the machine, start theextruder 1 so that plastic 3 is flowing smoothly through the die 2 andthen move the lips of the die 2 into proximity of the nip 6 between thetwo forming rollers 4 & 5. The molten plastic is picked up by thebacking roller 4 and delivered into the nip 6 as pressure from thehydraulic cylinders 17 raises the backing roller 4 into position. As thegap 6 between the backing roller 4 and the cavity roller 5 is reduced,the molten plastic 3 flows into the nip 6 and is forced into the opencavities in the forming roll 5. Molten plastic is also forced into thepores of the backing material 22, penetration depending upon thethickness of the backing, the core structure of the backing, theviscosity of the molten plastic and the pressure of the plastic in thenip. The pressure in the nip 6 is a function of the hydraulic pressureused to close the rollers 4 & 5 and the quantity of material deliveredinto the nip 6 relative to the quantity consumed in forming the backingand filling the cavities.

22.FIG. 4 is a cross-section of the hook fastener tape formed by theprior art process. The hook tape consists of a base 20 and hooks 21protecting from the base. The plastic material forming the tape isessentially uniform throughout. FIG. 5 is one embodiment of a product ofthis invention created by introducing a nonwoven fabric into the nip ofthe forming rolls as described above. Base 20 containing hooks 21protecting therefrom is attached nonwoven fabric 22. At the interface 23between the two layers the plastic from the fastener flows around andentraps some of the fibers of the nonwoven 22 thereby bonding thenonwoven fabric to form a laminate of the two layers. The nonwoven maybe light or heavy, thin or thick, dense or open. The properties of thenonwoven, the pressure exerted and the viscosity of the plastic in thenip will determine the degree to which the plastic flows into thefibrous network, or put alternately, the degree to which the nonwovenwill imbed into the plastic. FIG. 5a is a schematic representation ofthe laminate of FIG. 5 where the layer 23 represents the zone of mixedfabric and plastic. It should be understood this layer is not of uniformcross-section but rather there is a gradient concentration across thislayer ranging from no fibers at the bottom of the plastic layer 20 to noplastic at the top of the fiber layer 24. If, on the other hand, thenonwoven web is thick and dense, the plastic will only marginallypenetrate into the nonwoven and the back side of the fastener will havethe appearance of the free standing fibrous nonwoven. By carefullyselecting the fibrous nonwoven web, the plastic for forming the fastenerand the operating conditions of the process; it is possible to generatea wide range of products with different degrees of fibers projectingfrom the surface of the plastic thus providing a wide variety ofproducts directed to many different applications.

23.FIG. 6 is a cross-section diagram of yet another product of thepresent invention where an open, woven, textile reinforcing scrim 25 hasbeen added into the nip 6 of the calendar with a slight overfeed tocreate an excess of the backing fabric. Because of the open structurethe plastic 20 has encapsulated large sections of the fabric scrim 25yet sections of the fabric come to the surface 26 of the fastener. Sucha combination can be used to add strength to the plastic tape, but alsoprovide substantial modification of the plastic surface of the fastener.

24.FIG. 7 again shows the plastic hook fastener 20 with upstanding hooks21 laminated to a sheet of paper 27 containing on the surface thereof anadhesive layer 28. The adhesive may be any convenient type dependingupon the intended use of the product. In this way it is possible toapply reactivatable adhesives, pressure sensitive adhesives or contactadhesives as the bottom layer of the laminate. Depending upon the natureof the adhesive laminate being applied, care must be taken to preventthe adhesive from being squeezed or distorted by the action of thepressure of the nip.

25.FIG. 8 shows yet another embodiment of the technique of the presentinvention wherein the backing layer 29 is the loop side of a hook andloop fastener. Molten plastic 3 flows through die 2 and is forced intothe pores of the backing of the loop 29 at the interface 27encapsulating some of the yarns of the loop backing integrally holdingthe backing with the plastic sheet. In this way is created a productwhich is well known when created by adhesive bonding but in thisembodiment the laminate is created without foreign materials required tohold the layers together. Such back to back products are useful for themanufacturer of so called backstraps well known in the art of hook andloop materials.

26.FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of the invention wherein the sheetlikematerial is a thin polyurethane foam 30. The thin foam 30 can beintroduced into the nip of the calender as previously described. Thesurface of the foam 30 is intimately bonded to the plastic of thestriplike fastener 20. FIG. 9a shows the same arrangement as FIG. 9 withthe foam 30 attached to the back of the fastener 20 but also illustrateswhat happens when attempting to remove the foam 30. The bond attachingthe foam 30 to the plastic fastener 20 member is greater than thecohesive strength of the foam 30. When attempt is made to separate thefoam from the back of the fastener 20, the foam 30 splits or tearswithin the body of the foam 31 leaving a substantial portion of the foamon the back of the elastic strip fastener.

27. The following examples will aid in further understanding the rangeand uniqueness of this invention.

EXAMPLE I

28. The apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,310 was set up toproduce a plastic hook product, designated as hook type CFM-15 by theVelcro Group Corporation, using a nylon 12 resin, identified as resinL-2121 sold by the Hules Chemical Corporation. The melt temperature ofthe resin measured at the exit end of the extruder was 454° F. The diehead temperature was 460° F. Line speed was 30 feet per minute; tapewidth was 10 inches; calendering pressure was 2000≈gage. The top rolltemperature was 31° F.; the forming roll temperature was 55° F.; and thebottom roll temperature was 37° F. A roll of nonwoven fabric, Pellon 850a nylon nonwoven fabric sold by the Freudenberg Company, slit to a 10inch width was introduced into the calender at the nip formed betweenthe bottom and forming rolls. After a short initial start up period thefabric processed smoothly through the forming section withoutdifficulty. The nonwoven fabric was intimately integrated into theplastic of the hook sheet. The laminate thus formed could not beseparated into its constituents, one from the other, without destroyingthe fiber layer. The back of the hook product manifested a smooth, softfibrous surface substantially different from the surface of the productwithout the laminated layer.

EXAMPLE II

29. The apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,310 was set up toproduce a plastic hook product designated as hook type CEM-15 by theVelcro Group Corporation, using a co-polyester resin sold by the DuPontCompany, a Hytrel^(R) 8238 with 10% of a master batch fire retardantadded to provide fire resistance to the final product. The melttemperature of the polymer, at the end of the extruder, was 475° F. andthe die temperature was 476° F. The line speed was 30 feet per minute. Aroll of spunbonded nonwoven fabric, sold as Remay^(R) 2016, weighing1.35 ounces per square yard with a thickness of 0.009 inches was slit to10 inches width and introduced into the nip formed by the bottom andforming rolls of the device as described in Example I. The bottom rolltemperature was 50° F., the forming roll temperature was 50° F. and thetop roll temperature was 90° F. A tension of 100 pounds was exertedagainst the spun bonded fabric in order to prevent wrinkles fromdeveloping as the sheet passed into the nip of the calender, and thebottom roller was overdriven at 8% relative to the forming roller. Thespunbonded fabric showed minor wrinkling and folding. The tension on thefabric was reduced to 35-40 pounds and the overfeed increased to 8.5%which reduced the wrinkles to an acceptable level.

30. The laminated product formed consisted of an integral bond betweenthe plastic base of the hook sheet and the upper layer of the spunbondedfabric. The plastic forming the underside of the base of the hook tapewas intimately merged with the interstices of the fabric. The spunbondednonwoven layer could not be separated from the plastic without beingdestroying. Even when tearing the laminated sheet, the two layers wouldnot separate. Because of the heavy weight of the spunbond, fibers wereapparent on the under surface of the laminate and it was possible todisrupt and loosen fibers from the surface by vigorous rubbing. Evenafter substantial rubbing, however, a great quantity of fibers,primarily from the upper surface of the spunbond remain attached to thesurface of the plastic.

EXAMPLE III

31. Exactly the same configuration as used in Example II was utilizedbut the spunbonded nonwoven used was a lighter weight version of Remay,designated as Remay^(R) style 2006, weighing 0.6 ounces per square yardwith a thickness of 0.006 inches. In order to eliminate wrinkles andfolds from the web, tension was reduced to 25 pounds and the sameoverfeed was used on the bottom roller. The product formed by thiscombination was similar to that of Example II but the mingling of thepolymer into the interstices of the nonwoven was greater than in thatexample, but it was still possible to raise fibers from the surface byvigorous rubbing, and there were many fibers on the surface of theplastic projecting as a very fine fuzz above the surface.

EXAMPLE IV

32. Exactly the same configuration as used in Examples II and III wereutilized but the spunbonded nonwoven used was even lighter then in theprevious examples. The version of Remay in this example was designatedas Remay^(R) style 2250, weighing 0.5 ounces per square yard with athickness of 0.004 inches. In order to eliminate wrinkles and folds fromthe web, tension was reduced to 20 pounds and the overfeed was increasedto 9% on the bottom roller. The product formed by this combination wassimilar to those of Examples II and III but the mingling of the polymerinto the interstices of the nonwoven was marginally greater than inExample III. This mingling was enhanced to the extent it was difficultto raise fibers from the surface by vigorous rubbing even when using acoin to abrade the surface. Yet it was possible to clearly see thefibers on the surface as an integral part of the surface and evenprojecting as a very fine fuzz from the surface.

EXAMPLE V

33. The apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,310 was set up toproduce a plastic hook product, designated as hook type CFM-15 by theVelcro Group Corporation, using a polyester copolymer resin, Hytrel8238, sold by the DuPont Company. The melt temperature of the polymer atthe end of the extruder was 475° F. and the die temperature was 470° F.The line speed was 35 feet per minute and the tape width was 8-9 inches.The bottom roll temperature of the calender was 85° F., the forming rollwas 40° F. and the top roll was 40° F. The calender pressure was 2500pounds per lineal inch. A roll of tricot knitted fabric, sold by VelcroUSA as Loop 3200, was slit to a width of 10 inches and fed into thecalender at the nip formed by the bottom and forming rolls. As the hookproduct was formed the molten plastic backing flowed into theinterstices of the knitted fabric. The layers forming the laminatebetween the plastic hook and the tricot fabric could not be separatedwithout destroying the material making up the layer. In spite of thefact that Loop 3200 is a very open structure and the plastic from thehook portion of the laminate surrounded and encapsulated many of theground yarns of the fabric, a sufficient number of loops remainedextending upwards from the back of the product to enable hooks from theface to tightly engage when a tape of the product was turned such thatthe hooks were made to face the loops on the reverse side of thestructure. In this manner was formed a product commonly known in thetrade of hook and loop fasteners as back to back closure.

EXAMPLE VI

34. A sample of the Loop 3200 described in Example V was laminated to a⅛ inch thick polyether urethane foam using flame lamination techniqueswell known in the art. The foam laminate thus or-med was slit into a 10inch wide roll of material which was fed into the hook forming devicedescribed in Example V. In this instance, however, the resin used was apolyethylene resin produced by the EXXON Chemical Company sold asEscorene LL6301.57. The melt temperature of the polymer at the end ofthe extruder was 420° F. and the die temperature was also 420° F. Thecalender pressure was 1250 pounds per lineal inch and the bottom rolltemperature was 70° F., the forming roll temperature was 50° F. and thetop roll temperature was 90° F. The line speed was 30 feet per minute.The foam side of the foam loop laminate was orientated to join with theplastic backing of the hook portion of the product and the loop portionfaced outwardly from the bottom side of the product. A tenaciouslaminate resulted. The layers of the laminate could be separated bytearing the loop portion away from the plastic portion and the rupturebetween the layers occurred along the foam interface leaving a thinlayer of foam on both the plastic and the loop. The force necessary toseparate the layers was approximately 2 pounds per inch of width. Theuse of the foam as an intermediate layer yielded a product with softloop backing which readily engaged the hooks on the face side of theproduct when turned in back to face relationship. The degree ofcontamination of the loop structure as occurred in Example II wasessentially eliminated and the presence of the foam layer provided asoft cushioning to assist in the hook loop engagement.

EXAMPLE VII

35. Using the process configuration of Example VI a sample of adifferent loop, Velcro loop style 3610, was introduced in place of theloop used in Example V. Loop 3610 is a relatively heavy weight loopfabric weighing in the range of 8.02 to 9.95 ounces per square yard andhaving a nominal thickness range of 0.062 to 0.087 inches. The looppassed through the nip without difficulty using a tension of 100 poundson the loop fabric, on overfeed on the bottom roll of 8% and a nippressure of 1250 pounds per lineal inch. The plastic from the forminghooks mingled and encapsulated many of the fibers on the back side ofthe loop fabric thus creating a substantial bond holding the two layerstogether. Because Loop 3610 is such a substantial product it waspossible to work loose one corner of the fabric from the plastic and byso doing test the bond strength of the laminate. The peel separatingforce averages 6 pounds to delaminate the two layers. The loop face ofthe Loop 3610 appeared to be unaffected by the laminating process andwhen the laminate as turned on itself such that the hooks engaged theloop in face to face relationship substantial gripping was achieved. Theperformance of the back to back closure thus formed was comparable tothe performance of an independently formed hook product formed from thesame polymer against Loop 3610.

EXAMPLE VIII

36. Using the process configuration of Example VI, a sample of adifferent loop, Velcro loop, style 3003, was introduced in place of theloop used in Example VII. Loop 3003 is a circular knit fabric with asubstantially high loop pile on one surface, a relatively heavy weightof 9 ounces per square yard and a nominal thickness of 0.10 inches. Theloop passed through the nip with some difficulty due to its bulk but thesample formed provided an extremely high degree of mingling of theplastic resin with the backing fibers of the loop fabric. The bond wassufficiently strong. The two layers could not be separated for testingwith destroying one or both of the layers. The pile fibers of the loopfabric did not appear to be affected by the laminating process and theclosure performance of the back to back product thus formed wasessentially the same as the closure performance of a comparable hookproduct produced independently tested against an independent loop of thesame style.

EXAMPLE IX

37. The extrusion configuration of Examples VI through VIII usingEscorene polyethylene was used to create yet another laminate in whichthe web introduced into the nip between the bottom roll and the formingroll was kraft paper. The paper bonded tightly to the back of the hooktape and could not be separated from the laminate without beingdestroyed. Penetration of the plastic into the paper was limited asshown by the ability to delaminate the paper from itself leaving a thinveil of paper fibers still attached to the plastic.

EXAMPLE X

38. In place of the standard kraft paper of Example IX, a length ofkraft paper containing, on one surface, thereof, a water activableadhesive was introduced into the nip between the bottom roll and theforming roll with the adhesive side of the paper away from the plasticof the hook tape. The paper bonded tightly to the plastic of the hook,in a manner the same as described in Example IX. The paper could be tornfrom the laminate leaving a veil of fine paper fibers on the plasticsurface. The interesting facet to this laminate was the fact theadhesive layer on the back of the hook tape could be activated byapplying water to the adhesive and the adhesive used to attach the hooklaminate to other objects. Small squares of the laminate so formed wereactivated as one would activate a postage stamp, with the tongue, andthe small square of hook was easily attached to other objects.Appropriate loops attached to other objects were in this way releasablyattached to each other.

EXAMPLE XI

39. The extrusion configuration of Examples VI through IX using Escorenepolyethylene without any additives was used to create yet anotherlaminate in which the web, introduced into the nip between the bottomroll and the forming roll, was a printed high density polyethylene film.The film bonded to the back of the hook tape but could be peeled fromthe laminate with a relatively light force of less than 0.5 pounds perinch of width. An especially interesting aspect of this laminate wasthat the printing could be read clearly through the slightly opaque faceof the hook tape. The HD polyethylene printed message was in no waydistorted and was only slightly less bright than the original printedmessage of the film.

EXAMPLE XII

40. In place of the printed polyethylene film of Example XI a page froma Rand-McNalley Road Atlas, made of paper with a road map printer oneach side, was introduced into the nip between the bottom roller and theforming roller. The paper bonded tightly to the plastic polyethylenehook sheet that it could not be separated from the plastic withoutdestroying the paper. The fine lines of the map were visible through theslightly opaque plastic film forming the hook tape. The paper sheet wasprinted on both sides and it was also possible to read the map on theback side of the hook sheet. The assembly with the printed matter on itsreverse side could be attached to display boards with loop materialcovers. The combination formed an interesting method for affixingdisplay material to other objects. Conversely, it is possible to make adisplay surface with the hooks extending outward from the displaysurface which can be read through the hook tape to which objects can beattached. In this way, the design portrayed on the display is readthrough the hooks and sections of the display can be covered up byattaching loop material to the exposed hooks.

EXAMPLE XIII

41. The apparatus as described in previous examples was set up toprocess polypropylene resin designated as Ferro HDPS 0250D, a fireretardant polypropylene resin from Ferro Chemical Company. The melttemperature was 400° F. and the die temperature was also 400° F. Theline speed was 30 fpm and the nip pressure was 1500 pounds per linierinch. After the process was operating and forming an appropriate hookproduct a length of ether type polyurethane foam 0.065 inches thick, wasintroduced into the nip formed between the bottom roll and the formingroll. The foam bonded tenaciously to the plastic underside of the hooksheet and could not be removed without destroying the foam layer. In theprocess of being laminated, the foam was substantially compressed butremained tightly bonded to the polypropylene and provided a soft,resilient backing to the polypropylene hook tape which substantiallychanges the aesthetic and tactile response to the hook product.

1. In a method for making plastic hooks utilizing an apparatuscomprising a first cooled unitary forming roller having a plurality ofhook forming cavities defined in the periphery thereof and extendinginwardly therefrom; a second pressure roller positioned for coactionwith said first forming roller; means for concurrently rotating saidfirst and second rollers in opposite directions about their generallyrespective axis; means for forming an extrusion of molten plasticmaterial adjacent said first and second rollers to be directedtherebetween at an interface thereof such that said plastic materialfills said hook forming cavities and forms a striplike member having abase portion and a great multiplicity of hooklike projections extendingfrom one surface of said base portion and integral therewith; means forremoving and striplike member from said first forming roller at aposition spaced from the interface of said first and second rollers suchthat said hooklike projections are withdrawn from said hook formingcavities without opening said cavities after being cooled by the firstforming roller to a desired temperature, the improvement wherein thereis introduced into said interface formed by the two cylinders a sheetmaterial which becomes an integral part of said striplike member on theside opposite said hooklike projections, said sheet material beingintroduced into said interface adjacent said second roller so that saidsheet material does not interfere with the operation of the hook formingprocess, to form an insitu laminate with said striplike member.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the sheet material is a nonwoven fabric. 3.The method of claim 1 wherein the sheetlike material is a textilefabric.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the textile fabric is woven. 5.The method of claim 1 wherein the sheet material is a polyurethane foam.6. The method of claim 1 wherein the sheet material is a plastic film.7. The method of claim 1 wherein the sheet material is paper.
 8. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the sheet material has loops on one sidethereof said loops extending away from the base of said striplike memberon the side opposite the side containing said hooklike projections. 9.The method of claim 1 wherein the sheet material contains printed matterand said plastic material is sufficiently transparent such that saidprinted matter is visible through said transparent plastic.
 10. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the sheet material contains an adhesive on oneside thereof said adhesive extending away from the base of saidstriplike member on the side opposite the side containing said hooklikeprojections.
 11. In a method for making plastic hooks utilizing anapparatus comprising a first cooled unitary forming roller having aplurality of hook forming cavities defined in the periphery thereof andextending inwardly therefrom; a second pressure roller positioned forcoaction with said first forming roller; means for concurrently rotatingsaid first and second rollers in opposite directions about theirgenerally respective axis; means for forming an extrusion of moltenplastic material adjacent said first and second rollers to be directedtherebetween at an interface thereof such that said plastic materialfills said hook forming cavities and forms a striplike member having abase portion and a great multiplicity of hooklike projections extendingfrom one surface of said base portion and integral therewith; means forremoving said striplike member from said first forming roller at aposition spaced from the interface of said first and second rollers suchthat said hooklike projections are withdrawn from said hook formingcavities without opening said cavities after being cooled by the firstforming roller to a desired temperature, the improvement wherein sheetmaterial is passed through web straightening means to assure said sheetmaterial is properly centered relative to said backing pressure roller,impinging said sheet material onto securing means located around theperiphery of said backing pressure roller, and introducing said sheetmaterial into the interface between said first and second rollers whilesaid sheet material is conveyed with proper alignment and in a smooth,undistorted fashion but sufficiently retained an said backing pressureroll so that it is capable of withstanding the dynamic pressures createdas said molten plastic flows and becomes an integral portion of saidstriplike fastening member on the side opposite from said hooklikeprojections.
 12. The process of claim 11 wherein the sheet 11 materialis a nonwoven fabric.
 13. The process of claim 11 wherein the sheetmaterial is a textile fabric.
 14. The process of claim 13 wherein thetextile fabric is woven.
 15. The process of claim 11 wherein the sheetmaterial is a polyurethane foam.
 16. The process of claim 11 wherein thesheet material is a plastic film.
 17. The process of claim 11 whereinthe sheet material is paper.
 18. The process of claim 11 wherein thesheet material has loops on one side thereof said loops extending awayfrom the base of said striplike member on the side opposite the sidecontaining said hooklike projections.
 19. The method of claim 11 whereinthe sheet material contains printed matter and said plastic material issufficiently transparent such that said printed matter is visiblethrough the transparent plastic from the side containing the hooklikeprojections.
 20. The process of claim 11 wherein the sheet materialcontains an adhesive on one side thereof said adhesive extending awayfrom the base of said striplike member on the side opposite the sidecontaining said hooklike projections.
 21. In an elongated, striplikefastening member having a base member and a multiplicity of hooklikeengaging elements in the form of projections upstanding therefrom, saidhooklike projections each having a stem supported at one end thereof onsaid base member and a radial extension on the unsupported end of saidstem, said hooklike projections and said base member being composed ofthe same polymeric material the improvement wherein said base member isintegrally joined with a fibrous sheetlike material without the use ofadhesives or other foreign components, on the side of said base memberopposite the side containing said hook-like projections, by the polymerforming said base member being co-mingled with and encapsulating atleast some of the surface fibers on one side of said sheetlike fibrousmaterial, while leaving other fibers on the opposite surface free ofsaid polymer.
 22. The elongated striplike fastening member of claim 21wherein the fibrous sheetlike material is a nonwoven fabric.
 23. Theelongated, striplike fastening member of claim 21 wherein the fibroussheetlike material is a woven textile fabric.
 24. The elongated,striplike fastening member of claim 21 wherein the fibrous sheet likematerial is a woven textile fabric.
 25. The elongated, striplikefastening member of claim 24 wherein the textile fabric is woven. 26.The elongated, striplike fastening member of claim 24 wherein thetextile fabric is knitted.
 27. The elongated, striplike fastening memberof claim 24 wherein the fibrous sheet like material is paper.
 28. Theelongated, striplike fastening member of claim 24 wherein the fibroussheet like material is a foam layer.
 29. The elongated, striplikefastening member of claim 28 wherein the fibrous sheet like material isa foam layer bonded to front and back by sufficiently strong bond toallow shearing of foam layer.